The Tale of the Lone Wanderer
by Reviewer543
Summary: The Lone Wanderer has been a legendary figure for the people of the Capital Wasteland. But what was the reason behind his skills? Why was he able to survive when others would be killed several times over. This is his story. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT PROFIT FROM THIS. ALL CREDIT GOES TO BETHESDA AND THE FALLOUT TEAM.
1. A Mysterious Stranger

**Well, I've decided to throw this since its been on my mind even longer than Skyrim has been. I did write this particular one out a long time ago, even before the Ghost of the Terminus came to me. I figured I might as well get this out onto the site.** **Enjoy or don't enjoy.**

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 _"War... War never changes. Since the dawn of humankind... when your ancestors discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilt in the name of everything. From God to justice to simple psychotic rage. I was there to see the first murder. I've seen skeletons left in desolate canyons. And I was there to see the mass graves filled with bodies of men who gave their lives in a terrifying war that had engulfed the world a second time."_

 _"In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of Man could sustain itself no longer. I remember seeing bright, clean urban areas overcome by fiery nuclear waves. I remember how the fallout choked what remaining life had survived. The world was plunged into an abyss of fire and nuclear radiation. But even though Humanity's greatest achievements had been destroyed, it was not as some had predicted the end of the world."_

 _"The apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For Man had succeeded in destroying, but not himself. And war... war never changes. When things had begun to settle down after the bombings and nuclear winters had ended with the shattered remnants of Humanity poking their heads out of the rubble, the Boss himself sent me, and at least one other I know of down here. In short we were given a list and mission: Protect everyone on the list. Apparently, these were people who would become very important. I didn't question the Boss, even though I hadn't seen the point at the time."_

 _"'Why should we help humanity?' I had thought to myself at that moment. And could you blame me? They had literally burned and destroyed their world! They were nothing more than a self-destructive dying breed with little to no chance of recovering. But since this was from the Big Man himself I went down to what remained of Earth. The first guy on my list was some guy whose ancestors managed to get in one of those vaults made by Vault-Tec, 13 I think. Anyway, the vault's water purification system was failing due to a faulty part or something-I don't_ _remember. So their Overseer sent my charge out into the wastelands looking for a replacement part. He did well enough that I didn't need intervene. When he did acquire the parts he was later sent to find out why there were so many super mutants in the vicinity since their numbers had begun to swell."_

 _"That was when I intervened. He had been overwhelmed by several units from the Master's Army. Super mutants, nightkin, centaurs, and floaters. The last two were such disgusting creatures as I recall. I came to him in the form of a man of Brotherhood of Steel, wearing power armor and carrying a laser rifle. I saved his ass and later on helped him defeat the Master, formerly known as Richard Grey. Grey had become a hideous FEV-mutated creature that had somehow managed to hybridized with other human mutants and computers. It was repulsive to look at. A true abomination of science gone wrong. I helped him destroy the creature, its army and base, and what did the Vault Dweller-that's what he was and what people outside the vault called him-get in return? Exile! That damn Overseer feared his actions would make other vault residents wish to leave and so exiled him."_

 _"Believing he still needed my help, I traveled with him until he gained a following from both people from his vault who had left to join him, and the wastelanders who had come to admire him. Later on they founded a tribe that went by the name Arroyo. I realized that his actions had in fact done some measure of helping humanity. By removing that cancerous abomination, Humanity's remnant was able to grow without any dire threat to oppose it. Shady Sands, a settlement that he had helped would eventually grow into the New California Republic. Human civilization was on the rebound with a good path ahead of it. Seeing his exploits were over, I left his sight and resumed watching him afar now that his tasks were done. After checking him off the list, I looked down towards the next person on my list. Imagine my surprise when the next name was that of his grandson. I watched and waited for the child to be born after the Vault Dweller passed from this world. Several decades later, the boy, christened as the Chosen One was born."_

 _"This one seemed much more promising than his grandfather as the tribe raised him to be their champion and future elder, a position of leadership for the tribe. By the time his training had been complete, Arroyo was in decline. Its only chance to survive was to send the Chosen One out into the Wastes and find the Garden of Eden Creation Kit otherwise known as a GECK. During his little quest I came to as I had come to his grandfather: As a man clad in power armor. Though this time I was using H &K G11. Together we traveled to Vault 13, which had been devoid of a majority of its inhabitants. After acquiring the GECK, we returned to find Arroyo's people being taken captive by the Enclave, a group of military nut-jobs who believed themselves genetically pure and clean of any radiation. And while that may true, their attitude toward other people of the wasteland made them anything but pure. They were corrupt, militaristic, and morally lacking since they used people to test the Forced Evolutionary Virus."_

 _"We tracked the Enclave to their base which had been a Poseidon Energy oil rig. The place had been a fortress and the sheer number of soldiers would overwhelming for just the two of us. Luckily we were not alone. Over the course of our journey we had done several things in different places that would change the Wasteland. Among them had earned us allies in the forms of John Cassidy, Marcus the mutant, and Skynet which was a Robobrain. With their help, we infiltrated the Enclave base and managed get everyone out, but not before battling Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan. The man was a monster, both figuratively and literally. He had been an FEV experiment. He was like a mutant his size and strength which were enhanced by the power armor he were. Add to the mental conditioning the Enclave gave him and you got a walking talking death machine. It was a tough battle and there were moments that I thought we had lost but in the end we got him."_

 _"He attempted to take us down with him by using a nuclear bomb, but we got away safely before it could detonate. All it did was make our job easier with how many Enclave died. After it was all over we disbanded, and I resumed watching my charge progress on his own. In the end, the tribe and the people of Vault 13 were saved and together, with Chosen One's leadership, founded New Arroyo. With a combination of the tribe's survival skills, Vault-dwellers' technical knowledge, and the GECK, New Arroyo thrived under his rule and grew into a great civilization."_

 _"I wish I could say that was the end. That Humanity no longer needed someone to hold their hand anymore but then I'd be lying. The next one on the list was another human male who wasn't due to be born for another 16 years, in Washington D.C. and he most likely wouldn't be doing anything major for at least another 19 years if he follows the pattern of my previous charges. 15 years would later pass before the Boss suddenly called me. I didn't know what to think. Had my mission been recalled? Was I to be replaced by someone? The Boss wiped away my fears by telling me I had done a great job. I didn't even have a chance to say thank you when he told me that my direct intervention had to be greatly reduced."_

 _"From what he said, human's were beginning to take notice of us. These mysterious people who suddenly appear and began helping these... messianic figures succeed in their quests. I agreed with Him but had to ask Him what was I to do. A human could only do so much before their bodies give under the strain of what they were doing. He stood up from his chair and picked up something off his desk before handing it to me. It was a small syringe filled with a glowing red liquid. I couldn't help but look at my boss in confusion."_

 _"He told me that my other charges had acquire certain... 'perks' while traveling on their journeys. This was not unusual as these kinds of things come from experiences that helped shape them. Skills, tolerances and other talents are often better when practiced. However I was there to make sure they got use those perks after they acquired them. This time though I would not be allowed to stay by my current charge's side. Apparently, the liquid in this syringe was the Forced Adaptation Serum. In short, my next charge would be able to understand things easier, be extra special, and have perks that most humans would never have. This would actually help him when whatever he was supposed to do came up while I wouldn't be fighting by him every step of the way. To add on to that, I would need to wait for the boy to become accustomed to the Wasteland's environment before injecting him with it. Otherwise the serum would have nothing to 'build on.'"_

 _"It was fine by me having to take a step back for a while. But if I was to that, then who would protect the child? I knew he would be born in the Wastes, in some type of settlement, but these places as I've seen are not completely safe. There would be so little chance of survival for him. The Boss informed that I need not worry about his safety. That the boy would taken to a vault that was still in use by relatively normal people. That worked for me."_

 _"When I arrived in Washington, though it was now called the Capital Wasteland, I saw no use for my current apparel and changed it into something more relaxing. Instead of power armor and an H &K G11, I donned a dirty yellow trench coat with a matching fedora. On my hip, my .44 Magnum was fully loaded and holstered. In my pocket, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Hey, I need something to pass the time."_

 _"Finally, the day came when my charge had been born. I was there, during the birth of course. No one notices me unless I want to be noticed, and I hardly ever want to be noticed. I had been hidden in the corner watching as his mother screamed bringing him into this world while her husband supported her. They were good people. A rare commodity in this harsh place. I had forgotten how loud babies can scream. Still it was a good sign that meant he was healthy. His squalling ceased once his father held him. The two new parents seemed so happy that the room brightened somewhat, their tone infectious to everyone in it. Even me. His parents got a look in to see what he would look like in the future. A lady killer for sure. The happiness died quickly as the machines began beeping. The father, James, became distressed as his wife, Catherine started to become weaker."_

 _"They ushered the baby out who immediately started crying again as he was taken away from his parents. Sadness filled me as I felt the flame of life within Catherine die out. James had been distraught. The project he and his colleagues seemed so dead set on seemed to have taken its swan dive with their leader depressed and his wife dead. I thought about applying the serum to the boy but he had not acclimated yet to his environment. James later took the boy southwest, escorted by a dark-skinned woman clad in power armor. I followed them at a distance while making sure that nothing dangerous crossed their path. Several things would've had I not been there. Feral ghouls, super mutants, some mercenaries with a bird's foot on their chests, and even a deathblow at one point."_

 _"There was another thing that I forgot to mention. Despite my sneaking abilities I can't go into vaults. I'm better off outside than in an underground bunker for long periods of time otherwise I'll get noticed. Combine that with the boy acclimating to the environment with a dash of me protecting the group from less than savory characters, I have a small window to apply the serum and that window is getting smaller. It got the point where I thought I wouldn't be able to do but my Boss was looking out for me. The group decided to take a short rest at this settlement called Megaton. It was a nice little place. Could be something greater if things go the right way. But onto business."_

* * *

 **Year 2258**

* * *

So here I am standing in front of Moriarty's Saloon. I'm looking out over the balcony at Megaton admiring the view. I light a cigarette, taking a moment to enjoy the nicotine before blowing out the smoke through my nose. I've been told it makes me look somewhat dangerous, but I don't particularly care. It helps keeps the smoke from eyes and doesn't ruin my enjoyment. I've been thinking over how to get close without anyone noticing me. But all I've got is a mere lie and distraction move.

Wait. Maybe I can use that. I put out the cigarette on an astray on a nearby table before walking into the saloon. The smell assaults my nostrils making want to wince. A mixture of alcohol, sweat, smoke and something which just had to be body odor of some kind. Humans can be so disgusting some times. The first thing to greet my sights was Colin Moriarty. The was a sick a shit in my eyes. True, he and his family had helped secure Megaton and he is perhaps the wealthiest man in town, but he sells chems and women here in this place. He gather's information on people in town and will not hesitate to use it on them in order to achieve his ends. Though perhaps he's one of things that are a necessary for a town like this to be so well built.

I walked up the steps to the second floor and approached 4th room furthest from the stairs. I calmly knocked on the metal door and waited. The sound of heavy footsteps came closer until Star Paladin Cross opened. She was dark-skinned woman with a buzz cut who had a deadpanned look her in dark brown eyes. From what I can tell, this human was a cyborg. Add that with the power armor she was wearing and you got a dangerous soldier. I put on an unsure smile and started my plan.

"Hey, is there a James and a Paladin Cross here?" I asked with faux uncertainty. Cross merely raised an eyebrow in interest so I continued, "Well there's some kind of Brotherhood of Steel guy at the gate asking for you two. Something about a scribe?" She stared at me for a moment before opening the door revealing James and the baby boy.

"Describe him." Cross said. I figured she would ask that.

"He was wearing a helmet, definitely male from the voice. Oh! Armor had the same symbol of yours and he was carrying a laser rifle. Kept muttering about some Scribe called Rothchild." That was enough to get their attention. With that said I left to go back downstairs and watched while sitting at the bar. It didn't take long before the two came down and left the saloon. I walked back upstairs knowing I had roughly five minutes before they got back. No one noticed me going up the stairs. I tried to open the door but it was locked. Should've known they'd do that. Luckily I had some knowledge of how locks worked and this one wasn't complicated. A smile came upon my face as I heard the click signifying it was unlocked.

I entered the room to find the boy on the bed, cooing as I walked up to him after shutting the door. Poor kid. Has no idea what's ahead of him. I took the syringe out and gently, but firmly, took the child's arm. I injected the serum. The little fella cried so loudly from the intrusion. By the time I took the syringe out I could hear the door to the saloon burst open with frantic footsteps following up the stairs. I got out of sight just as the door slammed open with Cross looking around with her energy pistol. James was right behind her before rushing in to see to his son. The boy's wails quieted down to whimpers as his father soothed him. The two adults looked around the room, not seeing me at all.

"I think it's time we head to Vault 101." James said as he stroked his son's head.

"Yes, I agree." Cross replied. The two gathered what they had and left the establishment. I followed them as discreetly as I could, opting to stay a good few dozen yards away. I watched as they got to the entrance and James bid Cross goodbye before entering the small cave. Hearing the vault door open and then close later on from the outside, I knew they had got in. I took out another cigarette and lit it.

"Good luck, kid. See you in a few years." I said as I enjoyed the nicotine before walking away.

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 **Okay, yeah. So I need to get this out. Been doing some combing through my laptop and found this. I thought why not? Hope you like it.**


	2. Baby Grows Up Fast!

**Keep in mind that the first part is my first time trying to take the perspective of a baby so... eh.**

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 **Recap:** "Good luck, kid. See you in a few years." I said as I enjoyed the nicotine before walking away.

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 _You know I can remember a few things from my very early years. Some are small snippets. Others are full blown memories._

 _The few snippets I can scrounge from my earliest memories were:_

 _"I'm sorry, Madison. I am. But what choice do I have?"_

 _"I thought I knew you... I trusted you! We all did! How can you be so selfish?"_

 _"Selfish? This is my child we're talking about, Madison! My child!" I wonder who this Madison lady is and why she was fighting with my dad._

 _"It's you and me, now, okay? You and me. But that's fine. So long as we've got each other, that's all that matters."_

 _"No, no, put that away. This one's on the house. And now a toast. To James and his cheery cherub. May your future be bright, safe, and boring as hell."_

 _"Shh... You're safe now. No more monsters. No more nightmares. Shh... That's it. Daddy's got you…" I don't know why but I felt real fear when I remember this._

 _"Yes, yes. Cardiology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry. Whatever your needs. You'll find I can handle, well… I can handle just about anything."_

 _"All right. Just remember one thing. We need a doctor, not a deadbeat. Fail to meet my expectations, and there will be repercussions." That was the Overseer's voice. Maybe it was when my Dad became the physician?_

 _"Not so bad, huh? A bit chilly maybe, but we'll get used to that. A few decorations, some donated toys, and this place will feel just like home."_

 _"Hmmmm... Good? Huh, is that good? Here you go... No... Not too fast. That's it. That's it. Everything on the spoon. Come on, you can do it." I don't understand about this much. Maybe we were moved to have a different area? Or maybe I was eating?_

 _And then after that is my first real memory:_

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"Don't look straight into the light, pal. You'll hurt your eyes. It's just something you get used to down here." Were my father's words as my eyes adjusted to the bright lights. It was my room. Or our bedroom at the time. I had been sitting on the floor just looking at him. He was standing over near the window which looked out into the hall. At the time, dad was wearing his vault lab uniform. His hair was black and wavy too. Dad suddenly crouched down and began clapping his hands.

"Come on over here, son. Come on! Walk to Daddy!" He beckoned. I held my hands up wanting him to pick me up.

"Dada." I cooed followed by some babbling. Dad just smiled.

"You can do it." He encouraged. Seeing as he wasn't going to do anything, I looked at the table next to me. I grabbed it and hauled myself up. My legs felt like jelly at first and almost gave out. But I kept on going. Eventually, I got on my legs and was standing. A trick my Dad seemed to enjoy seeing me do.

"Good, good." Dad said. I held a hand out for him again.

"Dada." I cooed once more. I really wanted him to pick me up. Things were a lot better when I was as I high as he was. My babble seemed to make Dad chuckle this time.

"Come on, Jason. I know you can do it." He said back. I decided to do another trick which seemed to get his attention before: Put one foot in front of the other. I did so almost falling down like before. Dad made a small cheer, but didn't do anything else. Why was he still being over there? I did my trick again with the other foot. I almost fell again so I looked down to make sure it would work. When I looked up, Dad seemed to have gotten closer somehow. Maybe if I did it enough times, Dad would be right in front of me? And I did it again, and again, and again until...

"There you go!" Dad was right in front of me as I grabbed him. He wasn't getting away again! "My goodness! Just a year old and walking like a pro!" I didn't know what walking was. Maybe my friend Amata did. She always seemed to know the same tricks as me. Dad's fingers went through my hair making me happy and relaxed.

"Your Mother would have been so proud." Dad's voice got softer as he said that word. There it was again. What was that anyway? Some of the others like me had someone called 'Mama.' Was that the same? Amata had one though I don't see much of her. Butch did too. I really didn't like Butch, he always kept grabbing my face. Dad sighed again which meant he was sad about something so I padded his chest.

"Mama?" I babbled. That seemed to swing Dad out of it.

"D-Did you just say-?" He said looking at me, his wide. Why did he do that?

"Mama." I cooed. Dad smiled again but his eyes got bright. How did he do that?

"That's right, Jason. Mama." Dad hugged me making me feel better. That usually meant he was feeling better too. Dad then placed me on the ground before walking away.

"Listen, kiddo. I know you don't like it when Daddy leaves you alone, but I need you to take care of yourself for a minute." You're right that I don't like it. When you leave all the fun is gone! Where are you going? I trailed after him when he closes the playpen's gate. When did we get in here?! My hands touched the gate, fingers going through the holes. I babbled hoping he wouldn't leave.

"You just stay here while Daddy runs to his office." I whimpered knowing he wasn't going to stay. "You'll be okay, pal. I'll be back in a bit." And with that, Dad left the room. I watching as the door slid closed and heard a some type of noise come from the door. I looked out the window to see Dad pass by before vanishing again. I looked at the big red ball I played with. I smacked it with my hand, watched it bounce off the wall and come right back at me! I smacked it again, this time it bounced out of the playpen and onto Dad's bed which was right beside it. I looked at it for a moment before decided to try to get out of the playpen. If the ball could do it, maybe I could too. I grabbed the gate and hopped...

and hopped...

and hopped... but I didn't get anywhere. I looked at the gate and noticed something. Dad always moved this thing every time he closed the gate. I grabbed it, the thing moved but the gate didn't open. I jiggled it making it come up and suddenly gate opened making me fall forward. My chin hit the floor which hurt a little, but I didn't cry. I whimpered but I didn't cry. I had done enough crying when my mouth started hurting because of something called a 'tooth.' I didn't know what it was but I had hated it! They only fun thing about it was that I made marks on stuff when I put them in my mouth now. I got up and did my newest trick, walking, to get to the thing, a trunk, which held all my toys. Now that I could stand, I could easily get whatever I wanted from it.

There was a rattle, a block, a car with the tires marked up, and Teddy. I grabbed Teddy and held him close. He was always here when Dad left. I looked back into the box and saw my favorite book: You're Special. I liked it because it had me on it. I've looked at it a lot and knew what each letter meant too.

S is for Strength, and that means I am strong! I can carry lots of toys and swing stuff all day long! I want to do that because I can never seem to carry all my toys over to Amata and I want her to have fun with all of them too!

P is for Perception, a long funny word! It means what I tasted, smell, saw and heard! I think I have that since I can tell when Dad is coming back. I've always known when someone came near!

E is for Endurance, and that's how long I can play! I'm always really healthy, and have energy all day! I'm always the last to go to sleep unlike all the others. Does that mean I have lots of endurance?

C is for Charisma, it's why people think I'm great! I make my friends all laugh and smile, and never want to hate! I want to make lots and lots of friends so I'll be that too!

I is for Intelligence, it means I'm really smart! I use my brain for lots of stuff, like science, math and art! I don't know what that is but I want to! And that guy in the picture is reading a book like me so I must be smart!

A is for Agility, that's how I get around! I move real fast and easy, and I never make a sound! If I'm good at agility, will I be able to do what that guy does with the bottle?

L is for Luck, and it's simple, you see! It means that good things always happen to me! Good things do happen to me, but what does that have to do with a kitty?

I heard footsteps approaching outside the hall. I turned to see Dad walk past the window. He didn't seem to notice that I had gotten out of the playpen. I dropped Teddy by the special book and walked over to the door just in time for it to open, revealing Dad. Seeing me outside the pen, Dad laughed.

"You're quite the little explorer, aren't you? Serves me right for trying to pen you in!" I made a positive noise in agreement. Dad smiled down at me before walking over and kneeling down to the small table that I used to get up.

"Come on over here. I want to show you something." I walked over to him as he pointed to something white and brown that was on the table. It had writing on it.

"See that? It was your mother's favorite passage. It's from the Bible. Revelation 21.6. 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.'" Dad went quiet for a moment before he looked back at me, "She always loved that."

I didn't understand all of it, but I had a feeling that it was very important to Dad. He only ever talked that way when he was talking about stuff that he didn't want me interrupting. Dad stood up and grabbed my hand, smiling the whole time.

"All right. Come on. Let's go see if your little friend Amata wants to play..." He led me out of our room as I got excited to see Amata again. Maybe this time I can show her how to walk too and she can show her dad and he can be happy.

* * *

 _After that, the next few years went by in a blur. I_ _remember during those years Butch started picking on me._

" _You are to mend broken bones, prescribe medications, and see to the health of my residents. These "experiments" are a waste of time!_ "

" _Don't be a damned fool! We experiment to prepare. We prepare to survive._ " _I really wanted to know what had happened between my dad and the Overseer and what they were talking about that night, but Dad wouldn't talk about it much._

" _What's the matter, teacher's pet? Gonna cry? Awww... Waaahh!_ " _That day... Butch had gotten jealous that I knew most of the questions that day in school and began teasing me about Mom. He said something about her abandoning me and... and I got so mad... I punched him so hard that his nose was broken. I did it in front of all the other kids and our teacher, Mr. Brotch. Mr. Brotch had been about to call Butch off on his behavior, but I just snapped. Everyone seemed so surprised when I did it too. I tend to be quiet when not in class._

" _Your mommy? Oh, sweetie... I... Of course I miss her. I miss her... so much. Each day more than the last._ " _This happened a few hours after I hit Butch. Dad had been real angry when he found out his son was the one who broke another kid's nose. When he asked what had gotten into me, I told him. I told him what Butch said. What I wondered about my mother... and why Dad never talked about her too much. All the anger left him pretty fast then. He and I got to talking and the subject veered off to his work and experiment._

 _My father had mentioned that the experiment had been meant to prepare the vault to survive. Survive what, I didn't know. I can remember seeing my father working late at his desk looking over things I didn't really understand. I think whatever he was looking over caused things between him and the Overseer to become chafed, which I can vividly_ _remember at my 10th birthday._

* * *

I had walked into the diner part of the vault since I had been told that someone wanted to talk to me. Over the years I had learned that Butch could be a real jerk to deal with. Add to the fact that he had won over Paul Hannon Jr. and Wally Mack, he seemed to be having a gang start up. I'd even heard they were thinking about actually becoming a gang. Jackets and everything. And I thought that I was going to be attacked by them.

So it was a real shock when I entered a darkened diner and the lights suddenly came on. Multiple voices, adult and child yelled 'surprise!' My eyes had to adjust, I blinked quickly to make it go faster.

"Stanley, you turned the lights on too fast. You blinded the poor kid." Officer Gomez's voice sounded out. My eyes finally adjusted and I could take in the scene. The diner had birthday decorations strewed all around it. All the kids my age or around my age were here along with Old Lady Palmer, Stanley, Officer Gomez, even the Overseer was here! Behind the counter I could see Andy, our resident Mister Handy robot with a cake. And by the corner was Stevie Mack, most likely here at the behest of his parents to watch after his younger siblings, Wally and Susie. Over in the booth sat Butch and Wally while in the other booth closer to me sat Old Lady Palmer, Susie, and Christine Kendall. And right in front of me was my dad and Amata.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone said. Some like Dad and Amata said enthusiastically, while others like the Overseer and Butch said it with a dull tone.

"Can you believe it? He is growing up so fast." I heard Old Lady Palmer say.

"Happy birthday, pal! I can't believe you're already 10. I'm so proud of you." I smiled at my Dad. He had changed over the years, in no small part due to me and his work. His hair was no longer black but it was turning grey and he started growing a beard too. Then he it looked like he aged another year as he mumbled, "If only your mother..."

But whatever he was going to say was lost as the Overseer, Alphonse Almodovar, approached me.

"Congratulations, young man. I don't have to tell you how special this day is, do I?" I could hear how false his tone was and from the look on my Dad's face he could too, though he himself wore a stoic expression. Amata rolled her eyes at her father's actions and I had to agree with her. Couldn't he let this wait?

"Down here in Vault 101, when you turn 10, well, you're ready to take on your first official Vault responsibilities." He pulled out a Pip-Boy, one of the portable wrist computers that most tend to wear here, "So here you are. As Overseer, I present to you your very own Pip-Boy 3000! Get used to it."

I took it from him gently and placed it around my left wrist. I felt something on it latch onto my arm and insert into it. It was very uncomfortable for a minute until it subsided and the green screen on it came alive. I turned through the nobs seeing my bio-stats, a localized map of the Vault and its levels. It also seemed to have other features, but I would get to those later.

"Thank you very much, Overseer." I said as I politely could. Just because it was birthday didn't mean I could be brat to anyone and everyone. Dad taught me better than that.

"You're welcome, young man. You'll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow." He replied in kind before chuckled about it and walking away. Oh joy, work. Dad gave a subtle glare towards the Overseer's back as he walked away. His gaze turned back to me before smiling.

"Enjoy your party! You're only 10 once, so have fun! It wasn't easy keeping this a secret! Now go on! I'm sure everyone else would like a chance to talk to the birthday boy." With that, Dad left me to mingle with everyone.

"Happy birthday! We really surprised you, didn't we?" Amata said as she hugged me giggling, "Your dad was afraid you were onto us. But I told him not to worry. You're so easy to fool."

"Great party, Amata! Thanks for doing this for me." I said. I knew she and dad were like the only ones who actually did any party planning.

"You're welcome. But really, your dad did most of it. I just helped with the decorations and stuff." Yeah, I figured that too. "Hey, I bet you can't guess what I got you for your birthday. Go on guess!" I could see her reaching behind her back.

"I really have no idea..." I waited for her to bring it out noticing the eager look on her face. She had a triumphant look her in eyes as she pulled a familiar looking magazine from behind her.

"Ha! I knew I'd surprise you." She presented it to me, "Who's your favorite barbarian? That's right, Grognak! Issue 14, and no missing pages!" I took it from her hands gently, but with barely contained excitement. She knew how much I loved to read magazines. It didn't matter what really. From Grognak to Lying, Congressional Style, I read it and took something from it too. Like any kid, Grognak the Barbarian was my favorite out of all the others not just for the story but the cool moves he made with his axe. I always tried to do the same thing with my baseball bat with some mild success.

"Wow, Amata. Where did you find it?" I couldn't help but ask. I always kept looking for them to help pass the time.

"I found this in a box of my father's old things, believe it or not. Imagine him reading comic books. I guess everybody was ten once." That was surprising. Imagine: the stern and orderly Overseer read comic books once upon a time. It sounds like it was made up!

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Well, I'd better let you get back to 'mingling' with your guests. We'll talk later, okay? Happy birthday." She said. I nodded back with a smile as she walked away. Carefully rolling up the magazine and placing it in my pocket, I then turned to the booth which held Butch and his two cronies. Might as well say I hi and thanks for coming even though I didn't invite them.

"Oh man. You got a Pip-Boy. I wish I was 10." Paul said as I approached.

"It is kind of nice." I replied back evenly. Out of the three Paul was the only one I had a chance of getting along with. Well, maybe getting along with isn't the right thing to say... civilized is more appropriate. There was a brief silence for a moment before Paul spoke again with obvious hesistance since his buddies were near.

"Hey, uh, thanks for inviting me. Cool party and everything."

"Thank you for coming." Paul gave a wary glance too Butch and Wally, who were pretending not to listen. Thinking he was safe, Paul continued, "I know that, uh, Butch and I give you a hard time, but you don't take that seriously, right?" Before I could say that I did take it serious from Butch but not him, Paul hurriedly finished the conversation.

"Anyway, uh, happy birthday and everything. I better get back to, you know..." He made a motion towards Butch and Wally who were done pretending.

"What, are you two best friends now? Hey, Wally, I think Paul's gone soft on us." Butch snapped. Paul's eyes seemed to widen in surprise.

"Yeah, Paul. Why don't you introduce to your new best friend?" Wally sneered. Those two really got on my nerves.

"What do you mean? Dork-face here? Happy birthday, dork-face!" Paul said as a means of making it up to his friends. I scoffed at them. They were such a pain to deal with.

"You know this party's pretty good, I guess." Wally started, making my eyes narrow. What was he up to? "For a little kid. Balloons. Party hats..." He then turned to Butch who was grinning. "Not as cool as my party though. Remember how my dad got Andy to do magic tricks? And we all played Hunt the Mutant in the Atrium?"

Then he turned back to me with a grin and a sneer.

"Oh right... you weren't invited to my party. Too bad, man. It was really fun." He finished laughing with Butch joining in. Paul did so reluctantly. I breathed in deeply enough while not being noticed before looking at Wally.

"Well, if my party's so disappointing," I pointed at the exit, "the door's right there. I don't care if you stay or leave, more cake for the rest of us if you do. Same goes for you too, Butch." That shut them up quick. I knew the only reason he and Butch were here was for the cake and nothing else. With my piece said, I walked around to Stanley who was sitting at the main bar with Dad.

"How do you like that Pip-Boy, son? Fit all right and everything?" I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's really cool. Did you fix it up for me?" I checked over my new Pip-Boy. I could see the Vault PA system, my list of inventory, and my bio-stats. I looked back up to see Stanley smiling with pride.

"As a matter of fact I did. I'm glad you like it. Some may think the A series is a bit basic, but I've always preferred them for their reliability." He wasn't wrong. The first thing you wanted in technology was reliability over anything else. It said so in the Big Book of Science.

"Thanks, Stanley."

"Don't mention it." I looked back at my Pip-Boy, paying attention to the Geiger Counter and the built in flashlight. "Oh yes," I looked back up to him, "I almost forgot. Happy birthday!" He handed me a red baseball cap. I placed it on my head, tightening the strap on the back so it would fit.

"It's not much, but I hope you like it." I smiled and nodded showing him that I loved it. That was when I noticed Old Lady Palmer beckoning me over. I quickly gave my thanks and well wishes to Stanley before walking over to her. At her table sat Susie Mack, Christine Kendall, and the Overseer who had been chatting with her. Susie and Christine had given me relatively distant happy birthday's but I didn't let it get me down.

"Are you having a nice party?" Old Lady Palmer asked me.

"Yes, ma'm."

"Ten years old, my my my. Seems only yesterday your daddy came..." She trailed off as if remembering something. Was it my imagination or did the Overseer give her a small glare? "Goodness! listen to me ramble! You're waiting for your present, aren't you?"

"Oh, you didn't have to bring me a present, Mrs. Palmer." I said. And it was true too. I didn't really expect anything save for a Pip-Boy and cake. Old Lady Palmer gave me a disbelieving expression.

"Fiddlesticks! What 10-year-old doesn't like presents?" At my curious expression she continued, "I was 10 once, believe it or not! My goodness, the Vault was practically crowded back then."

"Really?" I asked surprised. Today, the Vault while not huge was spacious for everyone. The only way a room could be crowded was if a quarter or half the Vault got into the room.

"Yes. Not like today. So few young people now..." Old Lady Palmer looked nostalgic. A few seconds she snapped out of it and continued on, "But here I am rambling again, and you listening so politely."

She pulled out a familiar looking pastry that had been a very desired treat of all the Vault's children, a sweetroll. I noticed Butch, who had been sitting behind her, eye the treat with obvious hunger, "Here you go, a nice sweetroll that I baked for you just this morning. And it's all for you-no sharing required today!"

As I got it, I thanked her and bit into it. Oh it was soooo creamy and sweet. It was still warm too which made it all the better. It was gone in three bites. I turned to look at the Overseer. Making sure that I didn't have any frosting or anything sticky on my mouth or fingers before I approached him.

"I wanted to thank for you for coming to my birthday party today, Overseer." I said as politely as I could. He gave me a calculating stare before responding.

"I hope you appreciate the effort Amata put int this party. She really seems to like you, for some reason." He muttered the last part but I still heard it clear as day. That was the typical reaction from him when it came to me. In public he was falsely cheery, but in private, when he thought no one could hear, he was distant, cold and stern. He also wasn't one to hold back a veiled insult when he had the chance.

I thought over what I should say. My Dad told me to not disrespect the Overseer, but this guy got under my skin almost as much as Butch did. Not wanting things to become tense, I gave him my best response I could think of.

"She did a great job. But couldn't you have helped out a bit more?" That had been the wrong thing to say, I realized as his eyes widened slightly and gained a pompous glint to them.

"I do not allow the fact that Amata is my daughter to compromise my position as Overseer." At my confused look he elaborated, "I gave her all the appropriate paternal encouragement, of course, but I could not contribute extra vault is simply what my position requires. No more, no less. I know Amata understands that perfectly well." I wanted to sigh so badly. There was no winning with this guy! He always seemed to think of the vault as a whole, which is obviously expected from him, but... He just seems to let dominate in every aspect. He doesn't need to tell me that Amata understands that. I've talked with her about it. She's told me she's accepted it and said that is simply her father's way, but sometimes she's mentioned that she wishes that he would just take a break from being the Overseer and just be her dad. She's my best friend, that's why she tells me these things. Practically my only friend really. For some reason the other kids and I didn't get along. Why? I don't know. Maybe because Butch makes them, but sometimes I think it's something else.

"Attention everyone! It's time to cut the cake!" Andy, our resident Mr. Handy robot said bringing me out of my thoughts as well as calling everyone's attention. I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. While well meaning, Andy required constant supervision from Stanley due to clumsy uses with his circular saw. This time being one of them. A shrill screeching sounded out through the room as Andy's saw started up. We tried to stop him but it was too late.

The saw cut through my birthday cake, completely destroying it causing some to scatter everywhere. There was a stunned silence when Andy stopped. Amata broke it with two words that matched exactly how I felt at the moment.

"Oh no."

Dad and Stanley began to chastise Andy as the robot spouted out an apology. The cake was split into 3 big chunks with smaller chunks splayed all around it on the counter and some even on the walls nearest to it. I grabbed a cup of water and walked over to the bar that looked into the hallway, just between Officer Gomez and the jukebox. I was somewhat depressed now. No cake meant that this party was nearly over. If it hadn't been for Dad and Amata inviting the other kids, it might have been just a small gathering of close friends, which would be perfectly fine by me. Now I was going to have deal with-

"I'm hungry and that stupid robot destroyed the cake." Butch. I looked to my side to see that Officer Gomez wasn't in his seat anymore. Looking over my shoulder past Butch, I realized Officer Gomez had gone back to the counter to get a refill on his drink. Its the only reason Butch would come up to me right now. I also noticed that Amata was watching with a slightly worried expression. Not wanting her to get noticed by Butch, I turned my attention back to him.

"Really? I had no idea, Captain Obvious." I said sarcastically before taking a drink of my water. Butch's face turned a nasty shade of red as he glared at me.

"Give me that sweet roll you got from Old Lady Palmer." He demanded. I knew he would resort to violence if I didn't do what he said the thing is...

"I can't do that." Butch looked at me all confused.

"Why not?"

"I already ate it." Was my bored reply.

"Y-You what?" He asked as me he hadn't thought of that. He might not have actually considering he probably doesn't think that much to begin with.

"What? When you get a fresh sweet roll do you expect someone to not eat it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Wow, I didn't know Butch could turn purple too. He looked like he was about to shout and start a fight before Officer Gomez came back. The Officer looked between us with a suspicious gaze as he took his seat. Butch slumped back defeatedly and headed back to his booth, but not before giving me a discreet glare. I looked back to Officer Gomez who raised his glass to me.

"Nice party, kid."

"It was..." I said somewhat dejected with a meaningful glance at Andy. Officer Gomez looked over towards the counter too.

"Cake still looks good." He said before getting back up, "I think I'll have a slice."

I smiled. Officer Gomez was always the nicest and more positive of the vault security. All the rest were... I don't know... dull? Stern? Amata came up to me when she noticed I was alone now.

"What's Butch's problem anyway? I can't believe he tried to start a fight with you at your own birthday party. What a jerk." My smile got bigger. I could always count on Amata to be on my side.

"It's a good thing Gomez arrived, before it could go any further."

"Right. That's exactly what I was thinking." Amata replied with a nervous glance to the side. My smile went away knowing what had crossed her mind. She had been thinking about the time I broke Butch's nose a couple years back. She turned away. I was about to say something when I suddenly felt a hand on my back. Looking up over my shoulder, my eyes met those of my concerned father's.

"Are you alright? Butch giving you a hard time again?"

"Don't worry Dad, I can handle Butch." Dad smiled in approval.

"I'm glad to hear it. Once you start letting bullies push you around, you'll never see the end of it." His eyes looked at the window, before he nudged me off the chair, "Come on now, I bet there's someone else out there with a present for you!"

I looked outside having heard footsteps, but didn't see anyone. Then the door to the hall opened up and Beatrice walked in. I put on a hopefully convincing smile. It wasn't that I disliked her. I just didn't like how she babied me. She was woman of asian descent with brown her and matching eyes. And she was always chipper. Excessively so.

"Happy birthday, dearie! My goodness, I hope I didn't miss the party!" Like that. I put my feelings of embarrassment of being called dearie aside for the moment seeing as she was just wishing me a happy birthday.

"Yeah, my Dad and Amata threw me a great party, didn't they?" I said while rubbing the back of my head nervously, hoping that Butch and his gang hadn't heard. Thankfully they didn't.

"They sure did. My, my. Ten years old already. Why, I can remember helping your dad change your diapers..." I wanted to groan out in annoyance. What ten-year-old wants to be reminded of that? "And now, look at you! A great big grown up 10-year-old, with your very own Pip-Boy." If she wasn't so chipper, I'd think she was actually mocking me, "Since this was such a special occasion, do you know what I did? I wrote you a poem! Just for you. I hope you like it."

She handed me the poem. In actuality, I did like her poems. If anything more than to just help pass the time.

"Thank you. I will treasure it always. Is that all?" I kept it was professional as I could, hoping she wouldn't see through it. And she didn't since she was positively beaming.

"Of course! Run along now, dearie, and have yourself a wonderful birthday!" She replied before walking along. I wanted to groan so badly. I hate being babied! Then a sound came from the intercom, beeping loudly. My dad walked up to it and began talking into it. I looked around to everyone else. They were all preoccupied with there own thing.

Butch and his gang talking about their gang name. This time they were choosing between Tunnel Rats and Tunnel Snakes.

I could hear Stevie Mack asking Amata how long the party's going to keep going. Apparently he had homework to do. Even from across the room, I could tell he was bored out of his wits. Amata was trying to get him to stay, but it wasn't going to work long.

Christine Kendall and Susie Mack were being torture- I mean, _regaled_ by Lady Palmer telling them how the vault was a couple decades back.

My eyes moved back to Amata who had begun to play hostess to everyone here. She talked with all the adults in a mature manner that you wouldn't see in any of the other kids save me. And that was only sometimes. I looked toward the Overseer who was looking upon her with what had to pride. I got up and left hoping no one would notice my absence while I went to use the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I returned just in time to see the Overseer leave. He walked up to the stairwell that lead to the upper atrium of the vault. He must have been heading back to his office. I know it's wrong but followed him a little.

 _And that is when I learned about the Overseer's true attitude towards me and everyone else._

"Enjoy the party, sir?" The guard asked with a slightly upbeat tone.

"Bah, I only showed up because Amata's friends with the brat." The Overseer said with a scoff, "Give them a few more minutes and then I want that place cleaned up and everybody back to work."

"Sure thing, sir." The guard said all emotion gone now.

I got away from the stairs as I quietly as I could. My insides felt as if they were coiling in anger. I knew he didn't like me, but to act so... disgusted. That's just wrong! How Amata deals with him, I'll never know! I went back to the party wanting to hit something. Just before I got to the door, my dad walked out and spotted me.

"Hey, there you are! I didn't see you in there. That was Jonas on the intercom. He and I have been cooking up a little surprise present." He said enthusiastically. I hoped that the anger stirring in my belly wouldn't show on my face as he continued, "Jonas is waiting for you downstairs on the Reactor Level. Go ahead, I don't think anyone will mind if you slip out for a few minutes more."

So no one had noticed I was gone huh? Not going to lie, it kind of stunk. Though in the face of a surprise, I forgot my anger and disappointment quickly.

"Okay. What's the surprise?" I asked as I walked with down the hall with him." He merely chuckled at me.

"Just be patient. You don't want to ruin the surprise, do you? Go ahead, Jonas is waiting!" He nudged toward the stairs that lead down to the sub-level. I walked ahead of him eager to find out what I got. As soon as I got down to the first room, I was confronted by Jonas. He was a dark-skinned man clad in his usual white lab coat and vault 101 jumpsuit, just like Dad. Though he wore glasses too since he couldn't see so well without them. And he was looking at me with a stern expression, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you doing down here, young man? I thought kids weren't allowed down on the Reactor Level." Did Dad just mess with me?

"Oh... But Dad told me it was okay to come down here." I said unsure. Jonas' stern expression cracked like glass quickly.

"Hey, relax! I was just teasing." Ugh! I hate it when Jonas does that! I can never tell with him, "Listen, now that you're ten you don't have to take guff like that from grownups any more. Got it? Ha ha ha."

He punched me lightly in the arm as he laughed. It finally dawned on me that I was now considered somewhat of an adult now. Or at least more or less not a kid anymore. That meant that I could go down here anytime I want! Before I could ask what the surprise is Jonas put his hand up to stop me.

"Hold on one more minute. I think your dad will want to give you the surprise himself." Dad came down the steps and into the room.

"Are you ready for your surprise?"

"What kind of surprise?" Dad's jovial expression turned serious.

"The Overseer gave you your Pip-Boy, and you're old enough to do some work." He reached behind his back for something. Now that I looked at him, he had a strap over his shoulder, "So I figure you're old enough for this."

He pulled a gun from behind his back. Dad beamed at me as he presented the weapon to me, "Your own BB gun! It's a little old, but it should work perfectly."

I grabbed it and looked it over, noting how aged it looked as my Dad kept speaking, "Jonas found it down here. It was in pretty rough shape, took us a good three months to find the parts to get it working again."

At my curious expression, he elaborated, "You know how tough it is to find a spring that small? Good thing Butch 'misplaced' that switchblade of his. Ha ha ha!" I laughed along with him. Butch had gotten that switchblade and had been giant pain in my butt about it. He even threatened me about it one time. That might actually be the real reason Dad 'borrowed' it.

"So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"

"Here? We can't shoot a gun here." I said looking around. BBs, from what I knew from Guns and Bullets, had a tendency to ricochet off metal and I didn't want my birthday to end with either my Dad, Jonas, or I having to be admitted to the clinic for an injured eye.

"We sure can't, unless we want the Overseer beating down our door. Jonas and I have found a place, though. C'mon!" Dad nodded to Jonas who opened the door next to us. With the steel door out of the way showed the storage room and at the end of it was a makeshift shooting range. The crates had been placed in a row from wall to wall. At the very end past it were three targets to fire at.

"Well, what do you think? You can come down here and shoot any time you want." Dad said as he gestured to the room around us.

"This is so great! Thanks!" I said clutching the BB gun to my chest.

"Couldn't have done it without Jonas' help. You make sure to thank him." Dad replied smiling as he gestured to an equally smiling Jonas, "Happy birthday, buddy. I hope you have fun with it." I turned to him excitedly.

"Thanks a lot, Jonas. This is really cool."

"Hey, you don't turn 10 every day! Now go on and let me see you shoot something." Jonas said nodding towards the shooting range. I aimed the BB gun at the target and fired. It wasn't bad considering it hit the target making it spin around. I could see the BB had hit outer area of it. Okay, but could most certainly be better. I fired at the one next to it. When it finally stopped spinning, I could see that I had gotten closer to center but was still noticeably off. A frustrated huff escaped me.

"You can do it. Just aim and shoot." Dad encouraged from behind me. I slowly breathed in and out as I focused on where my sight was pointed on the third target. I raised it a centimeter and fired. The target jerked and span fast. Longer than the other two by a second. When it finally stopped, I saw where my BB struck. Right dead in the center. Dad and Jonas cheered and clapped.

"That's my boy!" Dad cheered.

"Excellent shot!" Jonas added. I was about to say something when I heard a chitter and something scattered from behind one of the crates.

"Careful! It's a Radroach." Dad said as I looked at it. It was the size of a house cat and had a shiny brown carapace with two antennae and wings. "Think you can take care of that with your BB gun? Just aim and shoot. You'll be fine." I aimed at the radroach and something happened. The world slowed down as I focused on the radroach. Its body became highlighted in green. My eyes moved from the body to its legs. The green highlight moved on to its legs having followed my gaze. I knew what this was!

It was V.A.T.S! Dad talked about it being made to heighten one's reaction and planning time astronomically. Since it was locked into one's nervous system, the pip-boy could work in tandem with the brain and through sight, measure where you're gun is aimed at and what you specifically are aiming for. I had no idea it was this detailed. I could even see the percentage of my attack hitting the radroach. I focused on its head and fired. The BB flew from the chamber and scored the radroach right in the neck. The head broke away from the body with grey white ooze coming out of it.

"Good work! That's one less Radroach to deal with." Dad said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him. He was looking at me proud of what I did, "Let's get a picture together. Capture the moment."

"Hey, Jonas, get a picture of me with the big game hunter!" Dad said as we both turned to Jonas who was pulling a camera out of his lab coat. I made a pose with my gun in my left hand and my dad placed an arm around my shoulders.

"Smile!" Jonas said. Dad and I both smiled as the flash went off.

* * *

 _The next few years would be filled with me taking on more responsibilities, dealing with Butch and his gang... and learning about girls._

* * *

 **Okay, so here is the second chapter of this story. It might be my last POV one since I really hate those. Tell me what you think, and I'll try to get back as soon as I can. I got finals for like the next two weeks and one of them requires me to answer like 367 questions. I bull**** you not.**


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